Egyptian security officials decided to extend the detention of an Israeli
citizen for an additional 15 days to investigate his illegal entry into the
country, according to media reports on Tuesday.

The Israeli, Andre
Pshenichnikov, is suspected of espionage, and his interrogation continued on
Tuesday, according to a judicial source quoted by AFP. He has been held since
last Friday and is currently jailed in Sharm e- Sheikh for allegedly trying to
reach the Gaza Strip through Sinai, reports said.

The judicial source
added that the suspect had “infiltrated Egypt through a mountainous area near
Taba.”

The Palestinian Ma'an news agency reported that an Israeli
delegation arrived in Cairo on Monday for three hours to discuss the
matter.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told AFP that “we
have asked the Egyptians for information” and “are waiting to hear officially
from the authorities what they suspect him of and what they intend to do. On
that basis, we shall know what we can do.”

Officials in the Foreign
Ministry said Monday that the ministry was in contact with the Egyptian
authorities about the matter, but that no one from the embassy had visited
Pshenichnikov yet.

An associate of Meligy, whose
blog Egypt’s Missing Peace has been critical of the Egyptian government,
informed the Post that he had been arrested in Alexandria.

An individual
in Egypt who has had some communication with Meligy’s family contacted the Post
following the arrest, writing that the family claimed that five men had taken
him around 7 a.m. on Monday because of his blog.

Meligy had
recently informed Post Blog Editor Lidar Grave that he would have to take a
short hiatus from blogging because he was receiving threats.

In early
November, Meligy opened a blog post critical of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi
with the words, “I hope that I don’t get arrested for this one.” He went on to
say that “the Muslim Brotherhood is creating a dictatorship that will set back
my Egypt for years to come.”